Pallant 10
Miriam Pallant
Mrs. Izzo
AP English
1 May 2009
THE
ENORMOUS
AP ENGLISH
STUDY GUIDE
ALL YOU NEED TO NOW ABOUT:
The Importance of Being Earnest
Othello
Death of a Salesman
Crime and Punishment
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
By Oscar Wilde
Comedy
Plot:
1. Jack comes to see Algernon in the town.
2. Lady Bracknell and Gwendolyn come to visit Algernon.
3. Jack professes his love for Gwendolyn and proposes to her, claiming his name is Earnest.
4. Lady Bracknell deems Jack unworthy for marriage because he was left in a handbag as an infant.
5. Miss Prism attempts to teach Cecily, but Cecily is distracted and writes in her diary.
6. Dr. Chasuble arrives and goes for a walk with Miss Prism.
7. Algernon, having learned of the whereabouts of Jack’s country house, arrives and tells Cecily that he is Jack’s brother, Ernest Worthing.
8. Jack arrives claiming that his brother has died in Paris.
9. Algernon comes out proving that his “brother’s” death was a “misunderstanding.”
10. A solicitor arrives to inform Ernest (Algernon) of debts he owes.
11. Jack agrees to pay the debt if Ernest goes to visit Bunbury in his declining health.
12. Ernest (Algy) proposes to Cecily who tells him they’ve already been engaged for three months (according to her diary entries).
13. Gwendolyn arrives wanting to see Ernest (Jack).
14. The two women are confused as to why they are both engaged to Ernest Worthing.
15. Ultimately, the truth is revealed and it is determined that Jack and Algernon are really brothers and Jack’s name really is Ernest.
Characters:
John (Jack) Worthing
Left in a handbag (by Miss Prism) in a train station in London at his birth, Jack mainly resides in the country watching over the granddaughter of the man who rescued him. Jack is madly in love with Gwendolyn after meeting her for the first time. He is known as Jack in the country and Ernest in the town. When he is in the country he claims “Ernest” is his brother and uses his “illness” to escape to the town once in a while. He is friends and then ultimately brothers with Algernon after it is discovered that he was the son of Aunt Augusta’s sister. Jack is rather snooty and aware of his status.
Algernon Moncrieff
Algernon mainly resides in the city. He is madly in love with Cecily. He has invented an invalid named Bunbury whom he uses as an excuse to escape unpleasant situations. He is friends and ultimately brothers with Jack. He is rather deceitful, cunning, and disloyal. He visits with Cecily even after Jack asks that he not do so. He is extremely witty and sharp and always has a retort or comeback for anyone who dares contradict him.
Lady Bracknell (a.k.a. Aunt Augusta)
Lady Bracknell is the mother of Gwendolyn and the aunt of Algernon (and ultimately Jack, too). She is determined to find a perfectly suitable husband for Gwendolyn, but her stubborn personality helps her find a way to deem many men unsuitable. She gives herself permission to determine exactly what is respectable and frowned-upon in society. Lady Bracknell is incredibly vain and cares little for anyone other than herself, as evidenced by her lack of care for her dying husband.
Cecily Cardew
Cecily is the granddaughter of Thomas Cardew – the man who found Jack in the handbag and rescued him. She is now guarded over by Jack and “educated” by Miss Prism. She has very little interest in learning and often angers Miss Prism by her tendencies to daydream and write in her diary. She is madly in love with Ernest (Algernon) when she meets him. She is quite carefree, but ultimately a little flaky.
Gwendolyn Fairfax
Gwendolyn is the daughter of Lady Bracknell and is in love with Jack.
Miss Laetitia Prism
Miss Prism is the prudish teacher of Cecily who is presumably in love with Dr. Chasuble.
Dr. Chasuble
Dr. Chasuble is the rector at Jack’s house and he is presumably in love with Miss Prism.
Bunbury
Bunbury is an invalid that Algernon has invented to get out of unpleasant situations.
Setting:
Town: Algernon’s London house. Demonstrates extreme wealth.
Country: Jack’s inherited estate on the “unfashionable” side of the road. Demonstrates extreme wealth.
Symbolism:
Diaries – indicates the differences between fantasy and reality
Cigarette Case – living proof of Jack’s deception (his “country” name is inscribed on it).
Bunbury – demonstrates a tendency to avoid a problem rather than face it head on.
Motifs:
-deception
-giving oneself authority
-fantasy vs. reality
Themes:
1.Outward appearance has more effect that the content of character.
2.People who try to give themselves authority will ultimately end up in submissive positions.
3. Personal experience has no bearing on one’s ability to consider himself an expert on a matter.
4. People try to put themselves in positions of authority to avoid the unknown.
OTHELLO
By William Shakespeare
Tragedy
Plot:
1. Iago talks of how he hates Othello because he gave Cassio a Lt. position and not Iago.
2. Roderigo explains how he is in pursuit of Desdemona’s love.
3. Iago goes to tell Brabantio of his daughter’s marriage, which is unbeknownst to Brabantio and angers him.
4. Iago warns Othello of Brabantio’s anger and an attack between the men is avoided by a military meeting which is called.
5. Brabantio claims Othello used magic to make Desdemona fall in love with him while Othello claims he simply told her stories of his adventures.
6. Othello organizes a plan to make Othello jealous of Cassio under the premise of ultimately winning over Desdemona for Roderigo.
7. Othello’s ship returns safely from war and Iago observes Cassio engaging in conversation with Desdemona and explains to Roderigo how he will use this happening in making Othello jealous.
8. Iago gets Cassio drunk, angering Othello and causing Cassio to lose his Lt. position.
9. Iago suggests that Cassio ask Desdemona to ask Othello to rehire and forgive him.
10. Iago begins to manipulate Othello and make him jealous by point out Desdemona’s continual defense of Cassio.
11. Emilia gives Iago a handkerchief given to Desdemona by Othello and Iago drops it where Cassio will find it (so as to create the appearance that Cassio has stolen or received the handkerchief from Desdemona).
12. Iago promises to kill Cassio for Othello.
13. Iago tells Othello to hide and watch as he speaks with Cassio about Desdemona. In reality, he speaks about Bianca as Othello watches and goes insane.
14. Othello speaks to Emilia who says Desdemona is innocent.
15. Othello smothers Desdemona , but shortly after learns of her innocence from Emilia. He kills himself and most everyone else is injured or killed by Iago.
Characters:
Othello
Othello is a man of high power in the Venetian government. He is a Moor and is therefore the subject to much racial prejudice. He woos Desdemona with stories of his travels and marries her without consulting with Brabantio. As evidenced by his behavior later in the play, he is an extremely jealous and selfish person and is willing to believe the first thing he hears. He is concerned more with his reputation than with anything else, including his wife.
Iago
Iago is the antagonist in the play. His conniving plans are the cause of everyone’s death in the play. He is, however, incredibly intelligent and subtle and each plan he makes is carried out to perfection. He is also extremely power hungry and is willing to do anything to maintain control over others. Iago is unbelievably deceptive, which is the cause for the success of all of his evil doings. He is the only main character whose death does not occur in the actual script of the play.
Desdemona
Desdemona is the wife of Othello. She is an extremely coveted woman in Venice (Roderigo and possibly Othello are romantically interested in her). She has unfortunately condemned herself to a lifetime of grief by marrying Othello. She is slightly shallow and rarely stands up for herself. She is a loyal companion to Emilia and defends Cassio honorably (although her husband sees her advocating as a lack of loyalty).
Emilia
Emilia is the only woman with true depth and wisdom in the play. She is married to the evil Iago. She is an incredibly loyal companion to Desdemona. Ultimately, Emilia is the only person who can figure out Iago’s evil scheme. She is quietly intelligent and reliable, as evidenced when Othello goes to her to seek the truth about his wife’s loyalty. Emilia is the one Desdemona trusts to carry out her wishes after she dies.
Cassio
Othello’s former Lt. with a drinking problem who is used as a bargaining chip throughout.
Roderigo
Roderigo is a close comrade of Iago who is madly in love with Desdemona.
Bianca
The prostitute with whom Cassio is truly involved.
Brabantio
Desdemona’s father who claims that she will deceive Iago as she as deceived him.
Setting:
Venice: From where Othello and Desdemona go to Cyprus.
Cyprus: Location of Othello’s castle and where he goes to fight the Turks. Overall fighting occurs here (domestic and martial).
Sea: Where a tempest throws about the Venetians but they survive. Serves as the “go-between” from a place of peace to a place of violence (tempest is a hint at this change).
Symbolism:
“Willow” song: shows knowledge of impending death
Handkerchief: shows trivial things get blown up into matters of great concern
Tempest: Ironic commentary on survival.
Motifs:
Deceit
Triumph of Evil
Racism
Mistrust
Themes:
1. Humans have a selfish nature.
2. Women have control over men psychologically.
3. Your subordinates have just as much power over you as you have over them.
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
BY ARTHUR MILLER
TRAGEDY
Plot:
1. Willy comes home complaining to Linda of being unable to drive.
2. Biff and Happy discuss their lack of lasting employment success.
3. FB- Biff and Willy prepare for Biff’s football game. Bernard comes and says Biff should focus more on his studies.
4. FB- Willy has an affair with the Woman in Boston and he buys her new stockings while Linda must mend her old torn ones.
5. Willy tells his sons about Ben who went into the jungle when he was twenty-one and came out rich.
6. Charley comes over in the middle of the night because he has heartburn and he hears noise. He and Willy play poker, meanwhile Willy has a flashback to speaking with Ben.
7. Linda explains to her sons that Willy has been trying to kill himself.
8. Biff and happy come up with an idea to start their own sporting goods company and they plan to go see Bill Oliver and ask him for money.
9. Willy goes to see Howard to look for a job, but gets scared by his high tech wire recorder.
10. Willy recounts the story of Dave Singleman - a successful business man – longingly.
11. FB- Biff and Willy prepare for Biff’s Ebbets Field game (which Willy claimed was the greatest moment of Biff’s life).
12. Biff and happy ask to take their father out for dinner, but then they stand him up to be with two women.
13. Biff admits his parents that the reason he had no address for three months was because he was in jail for stealing a suit.
14. Biff admits that he loves Willy but asks his father to forget about him.
15. Willy kills himself by crashing his car purposefully. The scene flashes to his funeral where Linda says “We’re free…”
Characters:
Willy Loman
Willy is an aging unsuccessful businessman. He is overly concerned with appearance and puts a great deal of pressure on his sons to be athletic and successful. He gives Biff much attention, but he virtually ignores Happy. He acts on a whim and presumably has some mental condition or personality disorder. He attempts to kill himself in several ways and finally ends up doing so at the end of the book.
Linda Loman
Linda Loman is an extremely cautious, empathetic caretaker for her family. She is however, extremely passive, and does not do much to try to prevent her husband from harming himself. She truly loves her sons. Once in a while, she will have an outburst of “truth” and she shows real emotion, which makes clear her love for her family and the emotional weight she bears.
Biff Loman
Biff Loman is Willy and Linda’s son. He is disconnected from his family and keeps to himself. At times, it appears as if he is depressed. He cannot live up to his father’s expectations for him and decides to sever his relationship with his father at the end of the book. Biff carries a heavy burden in that he knows more about Willy’s past than anyone else in the family.
Happy Loman
Happy Loman is the other son of Willy and Linda. He is often ignored and his parents seem to avoid all interaction with him. He still falls under the “spell” that was cast upon his father about focusing on appearance and gets caught in a never ending cycle of failure. Happy refuses to acknowledge the true problems that his family is facing and is at times naïve. He is so concerned with impressing his father that he has little depth.